Setting project end point

[Bruce Barkelew]

I have an existing project that I want to use as the layout for a new project (so I can keep track names, plugins, prochannel settings, etc). 

I did a CTRL-A and deleted all the tracks/clips, then deleted any automation envelopes that were there. I "save as" with a new name, but the project end point from the old project persists. It thinks I have a project with 182 measures (which the old project was). How do I get it to behave like a new, empty project?

What am I missing?

[Lance Jones]

This thread might help. i looked it up because you had me curious.

 

http://forum.cakewalk.com/Setting-Project-endpoint-m2626135.aspx

Looks like you: On the Track view, pull the Drop Down for Options, and select Stop at Project End. Playback will stop at the end of the last track (+ any time you have in global preferences for playing tails). Caveat: If there's any automation writing or muted tracks this setting is sometimes ignores this setting completely... Some say it's a bug, others say it's a feature.

[Bruce Barkelew]

15 hours ago, Lance Jones said:

This thread might help. i looked it up because you had me curious.

 

http://forum.cakewalk.com/Setting-Project-endpoint-m2626135.aspx

Looks like you: On the Track view, pull the Drop Down for Options, and select Stop at Project End. Playback will stop at the end of the last track (+ any time you have in global preferences for playing tails). Caveat: If there's any automation writing or muted tracks this setting is sometimes ignores this setting completely... Some say it's a bug, others say it's a feature.

Thanks Lance. That doesn't work. Cakewalk has had this issue/bug since back in the Sonar days. If you delete all the tracks, etc in a project to start a new one, sometimes "ghost" information stays and it thinks the end of the old project is still the end. I was hoping the current Bandlab version had addressed this. It's totally random when this happens, so it very hard to recreate it to submit a bug report. Oh well, I'll just start from scratch. Thanks for your input!

[chuckebaby]

More often than not it is related to Automation written on a track that exceeds the project end. It could be a hidden track, Bus automation, exc.

This has been my experience anyway.

[Bruce Barkelew]

12 hours ago, chuckebaby said:

More often than not it is related to Automation written on a track that exceeds the project end. It could be a hidden track, Bus automation, exc.

This has been my experience anyway.

You're correct, that can be the case sometimes, but what I'm referring to is on random occasions, you can delete all automation, etc,  but Cakewalk still thinks something is there.  

I did find a workaround: select all tracks, then save them as a track template. Load that track template into an empty project and you're ready to go. It keeps everything except any colors you may have set for console view.

[John Vere]

You should learn how to use track templates. You can save a complicated set up and save it. Then you just insert into a fresh project. It will even add sub mix buses. 

I have templates for everything I normally use. Example midi VST instruments all ready to go with my patches etc. And as I always use the same inputs of my audio interface for certain things the template remembers my inputs.  

Example: Electric guitar clean template- Input set to Channel 2/ Track is colored green / Pro channel has my effects and they are set they way I like/ Output inserts a Guitar sub buss/ colors it and inserts all my effects.  

Templates are a simple way to have your tracks set up the same from song to song. I never use song templates anymore, just the track templates. I can populate a blank screen pretty fast. 

[chuckebaby]

20 hours ago, Bruce Barkelew said:

Thanks Lance. That doesn't work. Cakewalk has had this issue/bug since back in the Sonar days. If you delete all the tracks, etc in a project to start a new one, sometimes "ghost" information stays and it thinks the end of the old project is still the end. I was hoping the current Bandlab version had addressed this. It's totally random when this happens, so it very hard to recreate it to submit a bug report. Oh well, I'll just start from scratch. Thanks for your input!

If you still have a version of the song saved in its original form, I would upload it here. We can take a look at it and maybe see something that's been overlooked.

Note- You don't need to upload audio. Just the CWP itself. That file should be very small in size.

[Bruce Barkelew]

10 hours ago, John Vere said:

You should learn how to use track templates. You can save a complicated set up and save it. Then you just insert into a fresh project. It will even add sub mix buses. 

I have templates for everything I normally use. Example midi VST instruments all ready to go with my patches etc. And as I always use the same inputs of my audio interface for certain things the template remembers my inputs.  

Example: Electric guitar clean template- Input set to Channel 2/ Track is colored green / Pro channel has my effects and they are set they way I like/ Output inserts a Guitar sub buss/ colors it and inserts all my effects.  

Templates are a simple way to have your tracks set up the same from song to song. I never use song templates anymore, just the track templates. I can populate a blank screen pretty fast. 

Thanks John, that's what I ended up doing. it saved everything except for the colors!

[Robert Bone]

4 hours ago, Bruce Barkelew said:

Thanks John, that's what I ended up doing. it saved everything except for the colors!

You can also save it as a Project Template, and it will save all of the buses, routing assignments, tracks, plugins, effects, and settings - just no recorded data.  I have several such Project Templates, which I use and view as an overall set of stuff to bring in. 

I also have numerous Track Templates, for smaller subsets of things - like a separate Track Template for each drum kit I set up for routing each kit piece to its own audio track, and the various buses involved, as well as the relative levels for each kit piece...  

I also set up and save Track Templates for things like standard drum kit mics, or common Kontakt instrument combinations.  Saves LOADS of time.

Bob Bone

[David DeLisle]

I finally discovered how to fix this problem.  It had bothered me for a long time.  First, in the track view, set the now time to the place you want the end of song to be.  Then make sure all tracks are selected and that you expand all automation data / nodes.  Then Select All.  Go Back and select From = Now, and Thru = End.  You should have all your excess measures selected.  Go to Delete Special, then make sure all boxes are checked and selected delete.  

***Here's the kicker.  After doing this for the Track View, you have to repeat these steps in the Bus View.  Make sure all Buses are selected and all automation data is expanded and selected.  This is usually where you have some hidden automation nodes that are extending your song.  

[Jeremy Murray-Wakefield]

None of the above suggested solutions worked for me (just spent an hour trying to fix!) but I found that doing the following quick fix worked for me:

1. Copy any large event to a place on any track that spans from the "correct" end point to the bogus end point or beyond.
2. Select Ripple Edit All from the dropdown in the top-right of the clips view.
3. Delete the event you just created.

- and that's it! (at least for me)

Don't forget to turn Ripple Edit back to OFF - I'm sure you've all had the 'amusement' of seeing what carnage that causes if left on by mistake.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Jeremy Murray-Wakefield

[lapasoa]

Because many times there is no hidden automation, no hidden track or no hidden note and none whatsoever and because it is a very long trouble for us all,  I expect that Cakewalk bakers give a gift to choose an end point when and where we want.

Edited December 19, 2020 by lapasoa

[John Vere]

Not mentioned here is to open the "Track Manager" and look for hidden tracks. 

But that said it is a bone of contention because it would seem a simple feature that has been requested forever on the forum. 

I always top and tail my songs in Wave Lab for this reason. There's always a space at the start and lots at the end. 

The other day I thought I'd try something I've seen mentioned here a few times where you load a whole album of your songs into a project to master. 

The mastering part was fine, and toping the start is easy, but the tails were all to long, even though the other songs were muted the tail was as long as the longest song. for all sonGS. So had to clean up in Wave Lab anyhow. 

[James Zito]

Moving the automation nodes did it for my project.  Thanks!

[Frank Culross]

I had the same problem - I'd imported a midi file then used the arranger to identify sections, finally selecting (in the arranger window) any sections I didn't need and deleting them. For my own convenience, I then moved all the remaining sections to make them consecutive and easier to work with.

I then modified these sections and created an updated arrangement from them, but the original end point still remained , so on playback, the file continued playing beyond my intended end (mixdowns were also the same.)

Here's a solution that worked for me -

1. Select the original end point using Ctrl-End
2. Drag out a new arranger section from 1 bar to the right of this endpoint back down to the section where you want playback to end
3. Using the arranger track (or arranger window) select this new section
4. Delete this new arranger section,

It seems that that the old endpoint is also deleted, so the file now stops playback  the intended project end.

Hope this may be some help should you have a similar issue.

[Bristol_Jonesey]

Using Ripple Edit to solve this is 100% accurate and repeatable, but as stated above, you MUST switch it back off afterwards